I'm not going to brag too much about how good the weather is in Southern California compared to Melbourne right now, because quite frankly, it's the least I expect from the climate here (and I expect it year round!), I will however brag about managing to get 6 hours or so in on the bike in the 4 days I've been here, which is not bad considering 1 day was spent at disneyland, and another outlet mall shopping (which is really hard when I have to adhere to pitiful european airline baggage limits during the latter part of my trip, and the exchange rate is so enticing). Those 6 hours without arm warmers, leg warmers, tights, long sleeve jerseys or winter jackets have sharpened the tan lines to their former summer glory, and not only that, I'm also getting in some important km's before the fun really begins in a few weeks.
Today's ride was a leisurely jaunt down to La Jolla and back along the Pacific Ocean, with some gentle rolling hills and a decent climb up to Torrey Pines (home to the championship golf course of the same name).
The one thing however that always baffles me about riding in California, and I think I'm qualified to ask the question given the amount of riding I've done here, is why drivers here seem so poorly skilled, aggressive or both when you're on the road in a car, but when riding a bike, everyone seems patient, careful and courteous towards you? Maybe it's a side effect of a litigious society, where drivers are scared to get sued for injuring a comparatively vulnerable road user? maybe drivers here are better skilled after all? maybe it's the overtly courteous society? maybe the absence of mandatory helmet laws make drivers more careful around cyclists (there's data somewhere to back that up, google it)? maybe drivers here are just accustomed to sitting in traffic and understand sitting behind a cyclist for 15 seconds waiting to pass isn't going to make them later than they already are?
What I reckon it could be, is that some of the people riding bikes here (and I won't call them cyclists, because riding a beach cruiser the wrong way down an on road bike lane does not make someone riding a bike a cyclist) are so poorly skilled at riding bikes, every cyclist gets a wide berth? I would go so far as to say I have seen as many people riding beach cruisers the wrong way down a road than I have seen riding the right way, and it's not a trivial number either, it's a lot! I still believe that even given Melbourne's crap roads, crap drivers and crap weather, it's still got the best cycling culture of any city I've ever visited, but is it too much to ask to import a little of this Californian patience and understanding towards cycling they've got going on over here (a bit of the weather wouldn't go astray either)?
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